The Chills - Silver Bullets

[Axver]

Martin Phillipps is a god and deserves more than a post that will swiftly get lost in RMT. So here's a thread for the glorious return of New Zealand's finest, The Chills, with their first album since Sunburnt in 1996 (with only an EP in between, 2004's mockingly titled Stand By).

The Chills – hear their brilliant comeback album Silver Bullets | Music | The Guardian

I can't even begin to articulate how happy I am that Martin is still making music.

If you haven't heard The Chills yet, here are some good starting places (so that you don't friggin' Cobbler them) that cover a reasonable breadth of the sounds they've dabbled in:

Spoiler

 

[liamcool]

For those interested in the new album, the single is "America Says Hello". It is very good. Listen to this band.

 

[Axver]

This album is so good, seriously. Far better than I expected given how late-career it is and all Martin has been through since Sunburnt in 1996. The Chills always had a habit of producing patchy albums (Submarine Bells the exception), so by virtue of being so consistent Silver Bullets automatically ranks highly - the only track I'd say isn't very good is "Tomboy".

Of course, the other thing that helps Silver Bullets rank highly is that the songs are very, very good. The whole thing sounds wonderful; the time they put into mixing this has paid off. "Underwater Wasteland" is stunning, and the end of "When the Poor Can Reach the Moon" is absolute vintage Chills. I'm not sure yet about how "Molten Gold" has been re-recorded but that's probably just a result of how much I've thrashed the 2013 version...

 

[pink_frost]

There's a few aspects of the recording/production I'm weary of; but yes a strong body of work.

I'm for The Chills tracking down Brian Eno, and inviting him to record their next record with him. I think he'd be the perfect person for producer

 

[pink_frost]

It's odd being in discussion about the chills with U2 fans - most annoying flying nun people hate U2. When I was at a Shayne cater show, with a U2 war t-shirt on, some cool dude there thought it was an ironic pisstake; the only irony was that he was an idiot. My theory is it's an anti irish/ catholic thing in the genetic make up that predominates flying nun/ Dunedin scene people- ie Anglican/Presbyterian arty types - be worth a research grant from a tertiary institution to look into it.

I spoke with Martin once about what he thought of u2 (being a band, along with the Chills I've listened to the most), and he said (I think trying to be nice), that he respected them, but thought they were 'overblown'. Not sure exactly what he meant. I did endeavour to make him a tape of u2 songs, but haven't yet.

...anyway I digress; here's to the Chills, and U2! And the new album

 

[Axver]

A++ screen name right there.

I suspect the main reason for a lot of Flying Nun followers being hostile towards U2 and similar bands is that most of the label's fans - of which I am certainly one - have a healthy distrust of large "establishment" bands, what with the label's DIY ethos and underground, homegrown origins.

Keep in mind that back in 1993, when U2 were still "fucking up the mainstream", there wasn't this sort of suspicion. 3Ds supported U2 at the ZooTV Auckland show and there's that good story about the band members pilfering some of U2's alcohol, for which the local promoter was going to kick them off the bill - until Bono found out and gave them more booze.

But now that U2 are seen as much more middle of the road and safe, they don't quite fit with what most Flying Nun fans want out of their music. Martin Phillipps, the Kilgour brothers, Bob Scott, Shayne Carter, etc. may be a kind of New Zealand rock royalty now, but they remain niche at the same time.

(Still fucking filthy I missed the 3Ds reunion of a few years ago. I visited Auckland literally one day after their show there! I'm also disappointed that I'm yet to catch Bailter Space's reunion...)